Hallowe'en? Yet to come
by Pocoyo
Summary: Ever wondered what happened before the nightmare? No? Well, I thinks it's time you begun!


**Hallowe'en? Yet to come.**

Ever thought in your mind of what had happened before? Before that story? Before those rhymes? If you did then take a step closer… here is the story before the nightmare.

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'Twas a fine, spring morning when Mister Skrapps sighed,

"Zero…" He moaned huskily, "These are our last days, my boy…"

A maid leant over Jack and tucked in the black and white pin-striped duvet around him,

"Now, Now. Master Skrapps, your last days are yet to come! The Doctor says you'll be right as rain after some more of his concoctions."

Master Skrapps shook his head angrily,

"What nonsense! Concoctions to kill me, aye! But to heal me? Not a chance!"

Zero whimpered, licking his master's white, bone-like arm. The maid rolled her eyes and pushed a strand of her long, brown, curly hair back into her white, frilly mob-cap and narrowed her eyes,

"I've had enough of your pessimistic attitude! Lighten up or you'll regret it!"

Master Skrapps blinked. Even Zero seemed surprised. Never in the entire maid's working days at the Skrapps House has she ever turned.

"Marie! What have you done, now?" Mistress called, one eyebrow raised. Everyone called her 'Mistress' because nobody except Master Skrapps knows her name.

"I'm sorry, Mistress."

The maid muttered before nudging past Mistress. Once the maid had gone Mistress raised her nose and sniffed at Master Skrapps, she flung back her greying hair and shut the door. Master Skrapps suddenly received a terrible thought. Could it be Mistress killing Master Skrapps? Could she be poisoning him? She has motive. The house, the money… everything would be her's if Master Skrapps died. Master Skrapps reached for the bell at the side of the bed, suddenly so panic –struck that he couldn't breath.

"Mar…" His voice trailed off and his hand hung limply over the bell. Zero jumped up beside Master Skrapps and pawed him enthusiastically, thinking it was a game. Seeing his Master's eyes flutter he hopped onto the floorboards and jumped around happily.

"Sorry I took so long! So…" The maid-Marie- gasped when she saw Master Skrapps ghostly-white face; there was no doubting he was dead. Even Zero had realised too. Marie dropped to her knees and scooped up the old dog,

"He was right…" She sighed, trying to make it seem like it happened everyday, "Oh…"

Her eyes filled with sorrow,

"My last words to him… 'Lighten up or you'll regret it'…" She looked over toward the bed, and looked questioningly at the way his arm lay across the bell.

"Zero… he was trying to tell me something!" She gasped, finally crying. She propped Zero down on the floor, her face stained with tears that still rolled down her cheeks. She dragged her feet across the creaky floorboards and took Master Skrapps' hand from the bell and squeezed it.

"You're a king… stay that way…"

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"New Arrival!" Master Skrapps looked around him, trees surrounded him and a squat little man with lots of black hair came up to him, he was in a large wheelchair, he was wearing black-tinted glasses and had an empty jar in his hand,

"My first arrival!" He cried again, Master Skrapps took a step backwards,

Then he noticed. He'd taken a step backwards. He could walk? He held his hands up to his face… they were bones. He looked down. He was wearing a pinstriped suit, exactly like the duvet that he had stayed his last nights in.

"What's… happened?" He gasped, staring down at himself, not bothered about who answered him.

"Why, you've died, my dear sir!" The man said, shaking his jar,

Master Skrapps felt his face with his hands; there was no skin,

"If I am dead… many people have died before me… and you say that I'm your first 'arrival',"

The man nodded his head; Master Skrapps noticed that he had a large stitched scar up the side of his face and that his top-lip stuck out a bit more than his lower-lip.

"People who are _killed _come here,"

Master Skrapps had been right, he had been poisoned, or he wouldn't be here.

"So… Sir, I'm the first ever to be killed…?"

"No, No! Of course you are not! Only selected people come here!" The man laughed, "Oh, and my name is Doctor Finkelstein. Or Doctor if you prefer."

"Yes… of course…"

"Now, what is your name?" Doctor Finkelstein asked,

"Master Skrapps… Master Jack Skrapps…" Master Skrapps muttered,

Doctor Finkelstein shook his head furiously, his full head of hair shaking with it. Master Skrapps was sure he could see clumps of it coming out by the minute.

"Oh dear! This shall not do!" he exclaimed, "Jack… yes, we'll keep that bit! Skrapps is… appropriate. But not appropriate enough…"

The Doctor chewed his right thumb,

"How about… Skellington! Yes, much better!" Out of nowhere appeared a sticky label in Doctor Finkelstein's hand, he dug into the pocket of his apron and found a black biro, he scribbled on to the sticker and stuck it on the empty jar,

"We'll drop the master bit… Your title now is 'The Pumpkin King'…"

Doctor Finkelstein opened the lid and then there was a sudden gurgle and then the sound of someone spitting. Suddenly Jack felt as if the world was sucking him up, he hugged himself, bringing his knees up to his chest. He could see Doctor faintly through the darkness, autumn leaves swirled around them and then… sudden light, a screech and a howl. They were somewhere else entirely.

"_This is Hallowe'en…_

_This is Hallowe'en…"_

Jack looked around him, he was on his feet again, standing with the doctor on a tall hill surrounded by pumpkins. The hill curved like a bridge and Jack fell forward, as he went it seemed the pumpkins were singing.

"_In this town…_

_In this town we call home…"_

Jack flinched as he landed on his back in front of a giant pumpkin that seemed to be getting bigger, the jagged hole that was his mouth opened and screeched,

"_Everyone hail!_

_Everyone hail to the pumpkin song!"_

Jack looked up and saw that where the Doctor had been was a big pile of hair, Suddenly he burst from it and cackled,

"_Don't we love it now?" _

The Doctor had lost his hair and was completely bald, jack couldn't see his eyes but he could see that they had turned a bright, powerful red as the once black glasses now were glowing maroon.

"_Skellington Jack!_

_King of the pumpkin patch!"_

High pitch laughing screeched from the pumpkins,

"_Our king…_

_Our king!"_

The bridge that Jack had slid down curled up again, allowing Doctor to push himself onto it, it curled back toward Jack. Doctor leant forward,

"Sh…" he whispered, "It's Hallowe'en…"

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MUAH HAHA HA! I rather enjoyed writing that, I myself am a BIG BIG fan of Tim Burton. Next chapter coming shortly!

Signed,

Pocoyo


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